Worrisome Trends
by tanith
Summary: "Of all the gin joints in all the world, you had to walk into…the one I happen to be at." Sequel to "How Embarrassing."


TITLE: Worrisome Trends 1/1

AUTHOR: tanith

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: "Of all the gin joints in all the world, you had to walk intothe one I happen to be at." Sequel to "How Embarrassing."

ARCHIVE: It's all yours, just let me know.

FEEDBACK: Who says "no" to this question? Not me. akirgo@yahoo.com

SPOILERS: Through Villains, plus a little speculation.

DISCLAIMER: Would anyone at ME be interested in a little Judith for Spike trade? No? Damn.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: More "Near-Life Experiences" coming soon, but after Villains, this just jumped in my head and stuck there. My bad.

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Judith sipped her glass of O neg contemplatively. Most of her contemplation revolved around whether or not the heat was damaging her hair. She wound the long dark strands around her finger and glared at them.

What could possibly have compelled her to come to Africa anyway?

Well, she hadn't been here before. In a century, she had done Europe, Asia, and both Americas pretty thoroughly. It was time to branch out. She'd hit Australia next, and maybe after that, she'd "persuade" some scientists to take her to Antarctica. She wanted to see it all. And when she was done, she'd see it all again.

Except for the little town of Sunnydale, California. Uh-uh. She was never going through that hell(mouth) again.

The door of the bar banged open, and a spattering of laughter erupted from the tables by the entrance. Judith didn't look up; she was beginning to think that that particular group of demons was part hyena. When someone slid onto the seat next to her, she still didn't raise her eyes. But then a voice said, "Whiskey. *Quickly*," and her head shot up.

She knew that voice.

She glanced over: he was dressed all in black, same as last time, but that cool coat was gone and Jesus, what had he done to his hair? The look on his face also surprised her: it wasn't the cool confidence he had shown when they'd parted, nor the drunken sadness of their initial meeting. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Maybe

But, oh no, now her curiosity was piqued. She winced internally - curiosity, cat, she reminded herself - but in the end, she couldn't help herself.

"Of all the gin joints in all the world, you had to walk intothe one I happen to be at," she finished, lamely.

He jumped, blinking at her. Then the synapses connected, and he sat back down heavily on the stool.

"Oh, it's you," he said. He took a sip of his drink, made an odd choking sound and pushed it away. "I thought I told you to get out of town."

She quirked her eyebrow at him. "Um, *Africa*?" she said. "Or does your presence here automatically make this your territory?"

"Bloody right it does." He gestured to the bartender. "Do you have any food?" he asked him. The demon made an inquiring noise that sounded like someone sucking jello through a straw. "Yes, human food," Spike snapped. He was brought a plate of fried plantains and began eating them, greedily.

Judith's eyes widened. "You eat food? Well, aren't you Mr. Enigma."

He turned and glared at her. "Lots of vampires eat!" he said, with surprising vehemence.

She held up her hands in a gesture of mock surrender. "Whoa. Touchy. Here, let me make up for last time."

She waved over the bartender, who looked tiredly down at her over the bridge of his slime-tipped nose. "Get him a glass of AB positive - your best stuff," she said, flashing the demon a winning smile. He pulled a jar out from under the bar and slopped red liquid into a glass. He pushed it in front of Spike, who stared down at the blood like he had never seen it before.

Something was itching at the back of Judith's brain, something she just couldn't quite put her finger onShe decided to ignore it. "So what are you doing on the Dark Continent?" she asked. "Business or pleasure?"

His eyes narrowed, and for a second she sensed in him the strength of presence she had witnessed in Sunnydale. If she were capable of blushing, she would have.

"Business," he said, "as in, none of yours." He got to his feet, shakily, and threw some money on the bar. "Excuse me."

She watched him stride back out the way he had come, past the snorting hyena demons and out onto the street, before tossing down some money of her own and following him. By the time she got outside, the street was empty, but she could hear strange scuffling sounds from behind the building. She rounded the corner to see him leaning up against the wall, his face to the wood, fingers clutching the boards as if he were trying to keep himself upright with the sheer strength of his fingernails. One hand formed into a fist and punched at the wall, mirroring the action of one booted foot. He sniffed and let out a ragged breath, his eyes squeezed shut tighter than tight.

He was crying.

Judith must have gasped, because he spun around, rage in his red eyes. "Sod off!" he said. "You stupid bint, can't you take a hint?"

And suddenly, she knew. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to wrap her mind around the concept. "You--" she said. "You'reyou're human."

His eyes never left hers. "Yeah? What of it?" he said after a moment, his composure marred slightly by his need to wipe the snot away from his nose with the back of his hand.

"How?" she asked in a small voice. "Is thisis this what happens?"

Something in his expression changed when he realized what it was that was frightening her. He snorted. "I wouldn't worry about it, pet." He kicked at the wall again, but this time it was a restless motion, not a grief-stricken one. "I don't think it's contagious."

A wave of pity washed over her. To regress, to go back to *that*she shuddered at the thought. No one deserved to have to live like that. If only there was something she could do for him

As soon as the thought passed through her brain, she realized that there *was* something she could do. "Do you want me to fix it?" she asked. "I'd be honored"

She cut off when she saw him blanche. His hand slipped easily into his back pocket; a moment later, he was holding a stake. "Stay back," he said, seeming as surprised as she was at his own response. "There will be no *fixing* of any kind."

"Okay," she said, backing off. "But you can't be happy like this. Just a minute ago you were blubbering like a baby, and just what are you doing at a demon bar anyway if that isn't what you want? I know--"

"You don't know anything," he hissed. He raised the stake. "Now get out of here. I can still make good on that promise."

She nodded, but her feet refused to move. "Go!" he said.

"I" She swallowed. "I won't tell anyone. I just wanted you to know, your secret's safe with me."

Something new passed over his features; she'd never seen so much emotion contained in one person before. He lowered the stake. "Thank you," he said.

Then she turned on her heel and ran. She didn't stop until she was safely in her room, the drapes drawn tight across the single window. She sat down on the bed and tried, unsuccessfully, to collect her thoughts.

Maybe, she thought, just before she drifted off to sleep, she'd have to journey back to Sunnydale after all.

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END


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